My Hearing: Why Hearing Loss is more complicated than the word 'Deaf'
When you tell someone that you wear Hearing Aids the assumption often is that you are deaf or severely hard of hearing, and that you have been so since birth or early childhood. This is not always the case. For many hearing loss can be a more mild but still noticeable challenge, and can also be developed over time or due to circumstance. For me, my hearing loss was caused by a Gromit falling out from my left eardrum years after the treatment of tonsillitis. Due to the more circumstantial nature of my hearing loss it took time to worsen to a point that warranted the use of Hearing Aids, meaning that I didn't actually receive my Hearing Aids until my Summer exams in 2016. Next month I will have been using my Hearing Aids for just about 2 years.
Of course, the causes and severity of my own hearing loss impacts the issues put forward by my disability. Because of the hole in my eardrum my ears are a bit like a dodgy speaker, the more noise you put through them the worse the sound quality I experience. This means that if we are two people sat across from each in the kitchen we will likely have an incredibly pleasant conversation with little hearing problems, but if we are in a loud environment I likely to constantly mishear what you are saying or not even notice that you're speaking to me. You might feel the need to say "But Freya we can all struggle to hear properly in loud environments, like clubs, bars and train stations, but that doesn't make us hard of hearing." Indeed, anyone can struggle to catch what someone is saying from time to time, especially when out for a drink. However, for me a situation that worsens my hearing can be anything from a busy classroom, a slightly buzzing coffee shop or even just someone facing away from me, making it fun when I encounter a chatty taxi driver. The fact that I normally know someone is talking to me but often mishear them or struggle to pick out any words at all can sometimes make me feel left out or worried that I seem rude, as people give me the hurtful "don't worry" response. You may have good intentions, possibly trying to be thoughtful and save me the embarrassment of asking "what?" three times, but if I have at least a few of these experiences a day if everyone just said "don't worry" I'd begin to miss out on a lot. Please just be patient and repeat it, looking at me face on. Cheers!
The fact that my hearing loss isn't quite as non-existent as some think has been reinforced to me lately, as my right hearing aid wire has been playing up. Though my hearing is significantly worse in my left ear I wear hearing aids in both ears for balance, as it can be disorientating and uncomfortable to have an aid just on one side. Sure, I was worried about this from a perspective of my lectures and my upcoming speaking exam (luckily the problem is now fixed) but I also began to realise how much of a pain it was in everyday life to not have the use of my aids. All it took was for someone to be walking ahead of me and the conversational opportunities were suddenly so limited for me, making it especially awkward when the other person hadn't realised. It made chatting incredibly slow, requiring 1000% more effort. At least with friends I could more easily explain but with strangers in customer based situations I found myself trying to just struggle on, grasping at odd words like straws. I was also being told that I was shouting more, another frustrating aspect of hearing loss. At home when I'm alone I often take out my hearing aids to make things more peaceful and because quite frankly a wire poking in your ear all day isn't always pleasant. However, what could seem to some as a minor inconvenience showed me just how reliant upon my aids I can be for basic interaction.
One day I want to learn BSL (British Sign Language) to use when I'm out clubbing and I'm aware that my hearing could get worse with time, but those things don't make my hearing loss anymore valid, just like the fact that I don't speak BSL and wasn't born deaf doesn't invalidate. I consider myself lucky that my current loss is mild but it still impacts my day to day in a way that may not be evident to strangers passing me on the street. I think we need to unify in the fight for accessibility and work beyond the categories that are primarily useful to doctors who need to distinguish between conditions, not individuals trying to form a community. We need to come together to educate the rest of the world on our differences and to form friendship based upon our own shared experiences. I have hearing loss significant enough to require support, I am hard of hearing and I give the best hearing aid buzz hugs around.
See you later alligators.
Freya <3
IMAGE SOURCE: https://www.dreamstime.com/stock-illustration-pop-art-megaphone-design-loudspeaker-cartoon-vector-illustration-speech-hand-image69261618
Of course, the causes and severity of my own hearing loss impacts the issues put forward by my disability. Because of the hole in my eardrum my ears are a bit like a dodgy speaker, the more noise you put through them the worse the sound quality I experience. This means that if we are two people sat across from each in the kitchen we will likely have an incredibly pleasant conversation with little hearing problems, but if we are in a loud environment I likely to constantly mishear what you are saying or not even notice that you're speaking to me. You might feel the need to say "But Freya we can all struggle to hear properly in loud environments, like clubs, bars and train stations, but that doesn't make us hard of hearing." Indeed, anyone can struggle to catch what someone is saying from time to time, especially when out for a drink. However, for me a situation that worsens my hearing can be anything from a busy classroom, a slightly buzzing coffee shop or even just someone facing away from me, making it fun when I encounter a chatty taxi driver. The fact that I normally know someone is talking to me but often mishear them or struggle to pick out any words at all can sometimes make me feel left out or worried that I seem rude, as people give me the hurtful "don't worry" response. You may have good intentions, possibly trying to be thoughtful and save me the embarrassment of asking "what?" three times, but if I have at least a few of these experiences a day if everyone just said "don't worry" I'd begin to miss out on a lot. Please just be patient and repeat it, looking at me face on. Cheers!
The fact that my hearing loss isn't quite as non-existent as some think has been reinforced to me lately, as my right hearing aid wire has been playing up. Though my hearing is significantly worse in my left ear I wear hearing aids in both ears for balance, as it can be disorientating and uncomfortable to have an aid just on one side. Sure, I was worried about this from a perspective of my lectures and my upcoming speaking exam (luckily the problem is now fixed) but I also began to realise how much of a pain it was in everyday life to not have the use of my aids. All it took was for someone to be walking ahead of me and the conversational opportunities were suddenly so limited for me, making it especially awkward when the other person hadn't realised. It made chatting incredibly slow, requiring 1000% more effort. At least with friends I could more easily explain but with strangers in customer based situations I found myself trying to just struggle on, grasping at odd words like straws. I was also being told that I was shouting more, another frustrating aspect of hearing loss. At home when I'm alone I often take out my hearing aids to make things more peaceful and because quite frankly a wire poking in your ear all day isn't always pleasant. However, what could seem to some as a minor inconvenience showed me just how reliant upon my aids I can be for basic interaction.
One day I want to learn BSL (British Sign Language) to use when I'm out clubbing and I'm aware that my hearing could get worse with time, but those things don't make my hearing loss anymore valid, just like the fact that I don't speak BSL and wasn't born deaf doesn't invalidate. I consider myself lucky that my current loss is mild but it still impacts my day to day in a way that may not be evident to strangers passing me on the street. I think we need to unify in the fight for accessibility and work beyond the categories that are primarily useful to doctors who need to distinguish between conditions, not individuals trying to form a community. We need to come together to educate the rest of the world on our differences and to form friendship based upon our own shared experiences. I have hearing loss significant enough to require support, I am hard of hearing and I give the best hearing aid buzz hugs around.
See you later alligators.
Freya <3
IMAGE SOURCE: https://www.dreamstime.com/stock-illustration-pop-art-megaphone-design-loudspeaker-cartoon-vector-illustration-speech-hand-image69261618
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